


Handmade

by aretia



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Christmas, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-26 01:49:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13225632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aretia/pseuds/aretia
Summary: Keith tries to introduce Regris and the Blade of Marmora to Christmas traditions.





	Handmade

**Author's Note:**

> My Regeith Winter Exchange gift for PyrestoneAtelier!

When the paladins went to space, Lance had kept his phone and used it for the calendar, and he insisted on keeping track of the date and getting everyone on the castle to celebrate Earth holidays. Keith fondly remembered the chaos that had ensued when Coran misinterpreted the point of Halloween and filled all of their rooms with candy. Since he was going to be on the Blade base for what was supposedly Christmas, Keith decided to try teaching the aliens about Earth holidays, too, even though he hadn’t experienced much of the Christmas tradition himself. 

“Merry Christmas,” Keith said, sitting down next to Regris in the cafeteria. 

“What is a Christmas?” Regris asked.

“It’s a holiday we celebrate back on Earth in the winter…” Keith started to explain.

Regris cocked his head to the side. Even with his mask, which he always wore because it had corrective lenses for his nearsightedness, it was an endearing gesture. “What is winter?”

Keith blinked. He didn’t think he’d have to start that far back. “Uh, it’s a season? I guess you don’t have seasons in space but you know, when you’re on a planet, when the weather changes?”

“I have spent most of my life on the base, but I have visited planets like Olkarion, and they don’t have ‘seasons’,” Regris remarked. 

“Yeah, I guess Earth is kind of weird like that,” said Keith. Regris was so curious that anyone talking to him had to be prepared to go down a spiral of tangents. Luckily, Keith always enjoyed their meandering conversations. “Winter is the cold season, when it snows and stuff.”

Regris shivered at the mere suggestion. “I don’t like the cold. I would much rather spend my life on a climate-controlled base.”

“Of course you would,” Keith teased. Regris wasn’t built for the cold like some of the long-furred Galra. His fur was short and sleek, velvety to the touch, but it didn’t provide much insulation, and his suit wasn’t enough to make up for it. Keith had heard Regris complain about the cold plenty of times when they were on missions.

“Is the cold season necessary for this holiday?” Regris queried.

“No, not really. We celebrate it back on the castle anyway.” Keith hesitated. “I mean, we probably would. The other paladins like to celebrate Earth holidays.” He sighed wistfully. As much as he appreciated his time at the Blade, training, learning about his heritage, and hanging out with Regris, he still felt homesick.

“We could celebrate it here,” Regris suggested. “What is involved?”

“Um, decorating the house, ugly sweaters, giving gifts…”

Regris gasped. “I don’t have a gift to give you.”

“Well, that’s one place we could start,” Keith said with a laugh.

 

“Christmas sweaters?” Thace repeated.

“Yes,” Keith said, standing in the doorway of Thace’s office, hugging his arms to his chest and swaying back and forth on his feet nervously. “I was wondering if you could help me knit Christmas sweaters for everyone.”

“Sure. It might take a few days, but I would be happy to,” Thace replied. His alert ears tilted forward in Keith’s direction. “It looks like something else is on your mind, Keith. What is it?”

“How do I tell Regris that I like him?” Keith blurted out, a blush heating his cheeks.

Thace stifled a snort. “Well, assuming just _telling_ him is out of the question…” he began. Keith shot him a glare. “Handmade gifts are a traditional expression of affection in Galra culture.”

“Really?” Keith said. “I… I don’t know how to make anything.”

“I’ll make something and you can take the credit for it,” Thace offered.

Keith rubbed the back of his neck. “Thanks, Thace,” he said bashfully.

“No problem,” said Thace. “Now if you wouldn’t mind, could you explain to me what in Zarkon’s empire a Christmas sweater is?”

 

For a culture that supposedly didn’t celebrate holidays, the Blade of Marmora went all out for their Christmas party. Every inch of the usually bare halls of the base was draped in tinsel. Thace had gotten some help from Antok and knitted everyone Christmas sweaters with a Marmoran flair, purple lights woven into red, green, and black fabric. Even Kolivan was wearing one over his tunic. 

Keith walked into the ballroom wearing his sweater with pride. It was red with a Voltron symbol in lights on the chest. He saw Regris across the room, looking cozy and warm in his sweater with the sleeves pulled up over his claws, and Keith’s heart fluttered a little. Regris’s sweater had a matching design, green with a glowing star on the chest. He wondered if Thace had done that on purpose.

Regris perked up when he saw Keith, his tail waving excitedly. Keith felt his cheeks burning as he walked towards him, and unlike Regris, he wasn’t wearing a mask to hide it. “Merry Christmas, Keith!” Regris chirped.

Keith took a deep breath and handed Regris his present, a soft bundle. Regris ripped open the wrapping paper eagerly and unrolled a long purple sleeve of fabric. He held it up at different angles, examining it. “What is it?”

“It’s a tail sock!” said Keith. “You’re always complaining about how your tail is cold and you don’t have any clothes that fit your tail, so I, uh… got it for you.” He left out the part where Thace did most of the work. It was Keith’s idea, anyway.

“Oh, Keith, thank you so much!” Regris deactivated his mask, and nuzzled his face into the soft fabric. Regris’s smile was like an arrow to Keith’s heart. “Now open yours!” he chirped. He handed Keith a small rectangular package.

Keith gingerly peeled back a corner of the wrapping. It was a small red book. He opened it. On each page was a picture of one of his friends from the castle, and a letter from them wishing Keith a merry Christmas.

A smile spread across Keith’s face. “Regris, how did you get these?” he asked, his voice cracking slightly.

“Well, you sounded like you missed them and spending the holidays with them. So I contacted the castle and asked them to send me pictures and letters. They all responded right away. They really miss you, too.”

“Regris… This is…” Keith was already having trouble forming words, but when he turned to the last page, his breath caught in his throat. There was a picture of Regris smiling, next to a small note: 

_Meet me under the mistletoe. ♥ Regris_

Keith blinked away the tears that had gathered in his eyes and looked up. Regris was holding his tail above Keith’s head, with a sprig of mistletoe tied to the tip of it. 

“There’s one more Christmas tradition that Lance told me about,” Regris said with a cheeky grin. 

Keith blushed. “Regris, you—!!” he started to say before Regris’s lips collided with his.

**Author's Note:**

> It's not a New Year's kiss, but it's a mistletoe kiss, hopefully that's good enough.


End file.
